Embodiments of this disclosure relate generally to a power electronic architecture, and more particularly, to a power electronic architecture that manages the electrical power from fuel cell stacks or other electrical generators and storage devices and provides dynamic power sharing and conditioning for use on a power bus.
A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. Fuel cells provide electrical energy from an electrochemical reaction between two or more reactants. In general, fuel cells include two electrodes called an anode and a cathode. A solid electrolyte is generally disposed between the electrodes. The anode contains an anode catalyst, and the cathode contains a cathode catalyst.
The fuel cell produces electricity from various external quantities of fuel on the anode side and oxidant on the cathode side that react in the presence of the electrolyte. Generally, the reactants flow in and reaction products flow out while the electrolyte remains in the fuel cell. Fuel cells can operate virtually continuously as long as the necessary flows are maintained.
Fuel cells operate at approximately 0.7 volts, therefore, several fuel cells are generally grouped together into fuel cell stack to produce higher voltages. For even higher power rating uses, fuel cell modules are grouped together in different architectures to meet generation capacity. However, in developing a fuel cell based power generation system, a system design is required to condition the fuel cell power to keep within bus limits, allow parallel operation of fuel cell stacks of different size and voltage level and manage the fuel cell and battery power contribution to the electrical loads during different system operation modes.
Presently, fuel cell based power systems typically rely on costly custom power converters to control the power distribution. However, the power converters are generally limited to a single power source such as one fuel cell stack. Furthermore, control algorithms within the existing solution power converters, use the duty cycle input of the power converter for direct switching control which requires detailed design of the converter to be matched with the fuel cell. Existing solutions also do not provide a means for power sharing at different power levels and dynamic adjustment to the power sharing ratios such that different sized fuel cell stacks with different operating characteristics can successfully interfaced.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system method that overcomes the above problems. The system and method would manage the electrical power from fuel cell stacks or other electrical generators and storage devices providing dynamic power sharing and conditioning for use on a power bus.